Herman Cain’s problems with sexual harassment allegations have at times obscured his problems explaining his positions on immigration issues.
The Republican presidential candidate and former Godfather’s Pizza magnate touched off a firestorm of criticism while campaigning in Iowa in June. Asked what he would do to stop illegal immigration, Cain said the country should erect an electrified fence along the Mexican border.
“Ever heard of the Great Wall of China?” he asked a crowd of supporters in Pella, Iowa. “It looks pretty sturdy. And that sucker is real high. I think we can build one if we want to! We have put a man on the moon, we can build a fence!
“Now, my fence would be part Great Wall and part electrical technology. I would be a 20-foot wall, barbed wire, electrified on the top, and on this side of the fence, I’ll have the moat that President Obama talked about. And I would put those alligators in that moat!”
The crowd in Pella cheered, but Hispanic groups and immigrant advocates didn’t. They criticized Cain’s remarks and demanded an apology. Cain did offer an explanation during an interview with CBS’ Bob Schieffer.
“That was totally in jest,” he said of the fence idea. “Some people are getting used to my sense of humor and as I get more attention I will tone down the sense of humor until I become president, because American needs a sense of humor.”
Speaking more seriously, Cain said if elected he would enact a three-pronged plan to secure the border. He would use fencing, though “not necessarily electric” fencing, and also technology and troops to stop the illegal entries. He said the country has the ability to secure the border but has lacked the will under President Obama.
‘Real guns and real bullets’
As president, Cain said he would consider using the U.S. military to patrol the border and they would do so “with real guns and real bullets.” He has argued that this hardline approach would help deter dangerous members of drug cartels and smugglers who have threatened federal border agents.
Unlike the other leading contenders for the Republican nomination, Cain has never held public office so he has no record of voting or governance to run on when it comes to immigration. In the late 1990s, however, he did serve as the chief executive officer of the National Restaurant Association, a group with many immigrants in its membership and that has been vocal in the national immigration debate.
But Cain’s stated positions in debates and interviews do not square with the association’s. The NRA supports comprehensive immigration reform, policies that protect workers in the workplace, a pathway to legalization for many undocumented employees and also is sympathetic toward the DREAM Act. Cain opposes all of these ideas and supports Arizona’s immigration law, something the NRA has not.
Against DREAM Act for students
Cain believes the country should enforce the laws it now has and not get into the business of writing new ones. He also has criticized fellow candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry for signing a version of the DREAM Act into law in his state.
On nearly all immigration issues, Cain’s positions are in line with those of the Tea Party. He advocates doing whatever it takes to secure the border and keep illegal immigrants out, and he would implement severe measures to see that immigrants in the country illegally are kept out of the workplace and sent home.
“Illegal immigration also puts a tremendous strain on America’s entitlement and health care systems,” Cain says. “Illegal immigrants are typically uninsured and cannot afford to pay for their medical care, driving up costs for all Americans, even those actually insured.”
He says that “taking a stand on the issue does not mean one lacks compassion, but instead, that one respects the rule of law and the importance of not becoming a lawless nation.”
Cain has distanced himself from rival Newt Gingrich’s call for some form of limited amnesty to help deal with the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the country. He has said he favors allowing the states more control to deal with the problem and allowing the federal government less.
“The way I would deal with those that are already here, which has been my stated position: Empower the states to deal with the illegals that are already here — not some big, grandiose, national one-size-fits-all,” he said. “I believe the states are already empowered to deal with the illegals that are already here.”
Critics charge that this position ignores the constitutional mandate of the federal government to set and enforce immigration policy. Even the most vocal critics of big government in the Republican Party believe that controlling the borders and deciding who stays in the country is essentially a federal responsibility.
